Last year’s record was 1,170,115 total vehicles, which was surpassed in mid-December thanks to record sales in China and strong crossover performances in the United States.

In the US, crossover sales increased by 3% across the industry. A whopping 40% of all new vehicles sold in the country are crossovers. The automaker has been tapping into that expanding market with capable vehicles like the Encore and Enclave, which together accounted for 60% of the Buick’s annual sales in the US. In fact, the Encore has been setting record sales for the last 23 straight months.

Sales are expected to continue rising throughout 2016 at Crawford Buick GMC. We anticipate the arrival of the Cascada convertible and the new 2017 LaCrosse, as well as the all-new Envision compact crossover that has been all the rage in China.

While we’ll admit that some in-car voice recognition systems can be downright frustrating to use, there are certainly plenty of options that actually work really well. According to a recent study by AAA Foundation for Safety and Edmunds, the Chevrolet Equinox and Buick Lacrosse offer the best in-car voice recognition software for model year 2015 vehicles.

2015 Buick LaCrosse – Check it out at Crawford Buick GMC!

The testing took into account ten different voice-recognition systems in 2015 model year cars, ranking each one by how distracting it is. The software in the Chevrolet Equinox and Buick Lacrosse were ranked as the two least-distracting voice command systems.

“The lasting effects of mental distraction pose a hidden and pervasive danger that would likely come as a surprise to most drivers,” said Peter Kissinger, president and CEO of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “The results indicate that motorists could miss stop signs, pedestrians, and other vehicles while the mind is readjusting to the task of driving.”

If you’re in the market for a new car that features voice recognition software which is easy to use, stop by Crawford Buick GMC!

Unfortunately, driving isn’t always a happy experience for a number of reasons, often due to outside pressures and stress.

Buick is bringing back the days of happy, stress-free drives with the 24-Hours of Happiness Test Drive. The program allows customers to test drive a Buick for 24 hours and provides advice on creating a relaxing atmosphere within the vehicle to complement the happiness that comes from driving a Buick.

At select dealers across the nation, including right here at Crawford Buick GMC, customers can schedule a test drive that will enable them not only to drive a Buick around the block, but around the whole neighborhood. You can sign up today for the chance to trade in your vehicle for a day and drive a brand new Buick to work, the pool, the kids’ day camp.

In addition to graciously loaning the vehicle, Buick also offers helpful tips on reducing stress and creating a relaxing atmosphere inside the vehicle. The automaker offers a recipe for an in-car air freshener, a yoga series to keep your body in shape even after a long car ride, and other exclusive online content to take your driving experience to the next level.

For more information on Buick’s 24-hour test drive, don’t hesitate to give us a call. This opportunity won’t last forever, so be sure to call today to reserve your 24-hour test drive.

Ever heard the saying “image is everything”? Well, it’s true…to an extent. Brand image certainly plays an important role in the auto industry, which is why we at Crawford Buick GMC are so excited that Buick earned the Best Value Luxury Brand award in this year’s Kelley Blue Book® Brand Image Awards.

Kelley Blue Book’s Brand Watch Study is able to ascertain the perceptions of new-car shoppers toward various brands as they research vehicles on the reputed website. From the results of the study, 13 brands in 7 categories are named award-winners.

The experts at KBB.com praised, “As the Buick brand becomes more luxurious and more contemporary, it’s becoming more appealing and thus a better value. Offering small sedans and SUVs starting under $25,000, Buick has retained its focus on quiet and comfort, while adding style, technology and even a bit of driving fun to its lineup.”

Stop by the Crawford Buick GMC dealership today to experience the brand lauded for its overall value as a leading luxury automaker in today’s market.

Three GMC vehicles and one Buick vehicle have been ranked among the most dependable vehicles in the 2015 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study: the GMC Sierra 1500 in the full-size light-duty pickup segment, the Yukon in the large SUV segment, the Terrain in the compact SUV segment, and the Buick LaCrosse in the large car segment.

Every year, J.D. Power tracks vehicles in their third year of ownership to determine those with the highest level of dependability and reliability, ranking the top three in each automotive segment. This is determined based on the amount of problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100).

The Buick and GMC brands themselves were ranked highly: the former was 2nd, the highest of any non-luxury brand, and GMC was 10th, both performing far better than the industry average PP100 of 147.

Though it analyzes 2012 model year vehicles, the 2015 Vehicle Dependability Study is still a great tool for picking out the best models and brands when it comes to reliability. You can find all of the models mentioned above at Crawford Buick GMC!

Very few car companies have reached as many milestones as Buick has. This year the automaker celebrates its 110th birthday and highlights a legacy that spans 11 decades of constant innovation. Buick has become one of the mainstays in the General Motors brand, having survived the axe a few years ago and becoming a true survivor. Buick is currently the oldest active American automobile brand, and one of the oldest automotive brands in the world.

The Buick Motor Company was founded by David Dunbar Buick on May 17, 1903 in Detroit, Michigan. The Buick Model B, Buick’s first production vehicle, was offered to retail customers as a 1904 model. The first of the Model Bs off the assembly line was sold to Doctor Herbert H. Hills of Flint, Michigan, and ironically decades later the brand developed a reputation as a “doctor’s car”. Today Buick makes a variety of luxury cars including LaCrosse, Verano, and the very popular Enclave crossover.

“Consistency, longevity, reliability. Those are the words that come to mind when you talk about Buick,” said Leslie Kendall, curator of the Petersen Automotive Museum, in an interview.

The weather is warm, the sun is shining, and school is out for the summer: yes, summer travel season has arrived. Before you pack up your family hauler this vacation season, ask yourself, is this vehicle safe enough to carry my precious cargo to our destination? Well, if you’re driving any of the five current Buick models, the answer is yes. Recently the 2013 Encore earned an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety 2013 Top Safety Pick, which means all five models in the brand’s showroom now share this distinction.

To earn a Top Safety Pick nod a vehicle must score the highest rating possible in all four tests performed on it. In addition to an IIHS Top Safety Pick, the 2013 Encore also received a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. New for the 2013 model year, Encore is a compact luxury crossover with high efficiency in a smaller package.

“Safety is a top priority in Buick’s product renaissance, as evidenced by receiving these latest safety accolades for Encore,” said Gay Kent, GM executive director of Vehicle Safety. “Our customers can have confidence in the safety performance of every Buick for sale today.”

The entire safe and stylish Buick lineup can now be found at Crawford Buick GMC. Visit our El Paso dealership before you head out for your summer adventures. Find more information on any current Buick vehicle at www.crawfordbuickgmc.com.

The warm weather has rolled in, the school year is winding down, and the summer travel season is about to be in full swing. In the past, popular summer road trip vehicles have included large SUVs for their space, or on the opposite spectrum, compact cars with great gas mileage. Thanks to both efficiency and advanced technologies, today’s full-size sedans are becoming a thriving choice as they provide power, roominess, and impressive fuel economy ratings.

The Buick LaCrosse has been recognized by AutoTrader.com as one of the Top 5 Highway Cruisers, making the American-made large sedan a solid choice for both families and individual adventure-seekers this summer vacation season. The eye-catching exterior is sharp and classy and gives way to a high-quality, inviting interior. The 2013 Base model features a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 182-horsepower and estimated mileage ratings of 25 mpg city/36 mpg highway. Features include a leather wrapped steering wheel, remote engine start, auto-off headlights, power steering, climate control, and navigation.

To entertain the crowd during a highway cruise, satellite radio, an MP3 player, a CD player, an auxiliary audio input, and Buick’s IntelliLink infotainment system are readily available. The 2013 LaCrosse is also a safe vehicle for summer travels, earning an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick and an overall 5-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

When you are reading to head out on your summer road trip, make sure you are being the wheel of one of the Top 5 Highway Cruisers, the Buick LaCrosse. Visit Crawford Buick GMC in El Paso for a test drive today. Explore the LaCrosse online anytime at www.crawfordbuickgmc.com.

The elegant Buick LaCrosse is the landmark vehicle that established the brand’s modern sedan lineup with its advanced technologies and design leadership. The new 2014 LaCrosse, making its public debut at the New York International Auto Show this week, offers advanced safety technologies, new design cues, and innovative luxury features. The full size sedan will be available for sale this summer.

The 2014 Buick LaCrosse is a modern sedan with a sculpted design and thoughtful amenities. Signature wing-shape LED daytime running lights and LED wraparound tail lights accentuate the exterior. Inside are more contemporary seats with enhanced materials to comfortable seat up to five passengers. Adaptive cruise control and new radar-based safety components are also available to encompass the 2014 LaCrosse with protection.

“We evolved the interior and exterior design, increased luxury amenities and materials, and enhanced the safety and personal technologies to give customers more reasons than ever to rediscover Buick,” said Tony DiSalle, U.S. vice president of Buick Marketing.

Watch for the arrival of the 2014 LaCrosse at Crawford Buick GMC this summer. Visit our El Paso area dealership in person or online for more information on the entire innovative and luxurious Buick lineup.

Hands-free calling and voice commands are great features to have in your car, as long as your car is able to recognize and execute the right command. When road noise interferes as you are trying to give you car a command, a request to “call Laura” can easily be misinterpreted to “play Pandora” and suddenly you find yourself frustrated and distracted as you try to undo what just happened.

The advanced Buick LaCrosse and its forward-thinking technology are more than prepared to remedy situations like this. LaCrosse features QuietTuning technologies reduce, block, and absorb interior noise with features like triple door seals, laminated window glass, and liquid applied sound deadening. Standard on every 2013 Buick, the IntelliLink infotainment system can control navigation and audio functions through voice commands. Of course it is also a hands-free calling system. IntelliLink is so smart that it has speaker adaptation which trains the engine to recognize different accents or dialects, making it compatible for any driver.

“There’s definitely an advantage when we’re developing voice controls in a quieter cabin,” said Robert Sims, General Motors speech recognition engineer. “The system’s ability to hear a command relies on SNR, or signal-to-noise ratio. If noise is extremely low like it is in the LaCrosse, the use’s voice, or signal, cab ne lower. In other words, a LaCrosse driver can easily speak to the IntelliLink system at a normal, conversational volume.”

Think this technology is too good to be true? Stop by Crawford Buick GMC today to experience for yourself what a good listener the 2013 Buick LaCrosse is. Visit our El Paso dealership for a test drive. You can find more information on the elegant LaCrosse by visiting us online anytime.